Rosemary Blackberry Roasted Game Hen
It’s not goose, but game hen is more exotic somehow than chicken. And it feels old fashioned to have a whole bird (or half of one anyway) sitting on your plate. Game hen are easy to find at the grocery store. They take two days to defrost in the fridge, or a couple hours in a bowl of cold water in the sink, changing the water out every thirty minutes.
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
- 2 Cornish game hens
- salt and pepper
- 1 small lemon cut in quarters
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary reserve extra sprig for sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup blackberries
- Extra fresh rosemary and blackberries for garnish
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Remove the hens from their packaging, dump out any liquid, and pat them dry. Place a lemon wedge and a rosemary sprig inside the cavity of each bird. Rub the outsides with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
Place them on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
Combine wine, garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, blackberries, ½ Tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a blender (or use an immersion blender). Pulse to combine, then pour over the hens. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. The interior temperature should be 165° F.
Cut hens in half lengthwise, and transfer them to a serving platter. If desired, pour pan juices into a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and extra blackberries and drizzle with sauce.